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54% say Netanyahu's political considerations prolonging war: Poll

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
6 Jul 2024 00:13

A survey conducted by the Israeli Channel 12 reveals that 43% of respondents said elections should be held as soon as possible.

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Thousands holding banners and Israeli flags gather during a demonstration to demand a prisoner swap deal with Gaza and the dismissal of the government led by Benjamin Netanyahu, in Tel Aviv, on June 22, 2024. (Anadolu via AFP)

A survey conducted by the Israeli Channel 12 found that 68% of respondents gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip a bad grade.

The survey also showed that only 28% of respondents gave Netanyahu a good grade, while 4% were unsure.

In the same context, 49% of respondents gave Security Minister Yoav Gallant a bad assessment, 42% gave him a good grade, and 8% were unsure.

Moreover, the survey found that 46% of respondents gave Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi a good grade, 44% a bad grade, and 10% were unsure.

Regarding why the war has not ended, 54% of respondents attributed it to Netanyahu's political considerations, 34% to substantive and operational considerations, and 12% were unsure.

Channel 12's survey revealed that 68% of respondents believe "Israel" is far from achieving the "total victory" vowed by Netanyahu, compared to 23% who think "Israel" is close, and 9% who were unsure.

On the timing of elections, 43% of respondents said they should be held as soon as possible, 29% said after the war is over, 23% said when the ruling coalition's term expires in October 2026, and 5% were unsure.

This comes as the Israeli occupation government has so far failed to retrieve most of the captives held by the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza and its forces continue to suffer casualties as a result of the Resistance's operations.

Meanwhile, settlers in northern occupied Palestine along the border with Lebanon are running out of patience amid Hezbollah's intense operations against Israeli military sites in support of Gaza, which have displaced tens of thousands of Israelis from their settlements.

The recent survey echoes a similar one also conducted by Channel 12, which revealed that 51% of Israeli settlers believe that achieving a "total victory" against Hamas is unattainable.

According to the poll, Israelis viewed the performance of Netanyahu, along with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Security Minister Yoav Gallant, during the war as weak.

Additionally, 56% of respondents preferred that the next ruling coalition not include extremist right-wing parties.